Argument over in-flight meal takes ugly turn for couple from Mumbai

A Mumbai-based passenger has filed an FIR against SpiceJet crew for misbehaving with him and wife; claims they were threatened, and illegally detained

Complainants Karan Ambardar and Shilpa Aggarwal

A city-based couple onboard a Delhi-Mumbai SpiceJet flight has alleged harassment against the crewmembers of the domestic airline, after airport authorities detained them yesterday. The couple, Karan Ambardar and Shilpa Aggarwal, has also filed an FIR and the police are investigating.

Ambardar, who was travelling to Delhi with his wife, had done a last-minute seat upgrade, paying an extra R2,000 for it. “As part of the upgrade, we were to get complimentary meals on the flight,” said Ambardar, an anchor with a leading sports channel.

The incident took place after take-off when Ambardar had asked for a chicken sandwich and Pepsi. “The air hostess said they didn't have a sandwich. I agreed for the second option, which was a chicken tikka masala with gravy rice. However, the flight attendant returned saying that wasn't available either. She offered a chicken methi malai instead,” recalls Ambardar.

“I told her it wasn't fair that only one of the three options was available, as I had paid for the upgrade. I insisted on seeing her superior,” he said.

The purser arrived, but said that he'd solve the issue once they had finished serving everyone on board.

“When he returned, his tone had changed and He got aggressive. I told him that I wanted my money back because the airline wasn't serving me what I had paid for. In response, he flashed the menu card and said I should only be ordering what was available,” Ambardar said.

“When I saw the menu card, I realised the airline's menu changed according to date, and that they were serving me a dish offered nearly 14 hours ago. I raised a stink.” The purser and Ambardar started having a heated argument. “He even threatened me,” Ambardar said.

However, Ambardar said he and his wife faced more humiliation when the plane landed. “While all the passengers were seated, we were told to get up. They said we had been detained as the cabin crew had complained that I had threatened them. That was a lie,” Ambardar said.

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